This invention relates to switching matrix devices and, more particularly, to a rotary switching device for use with communication components which are incompatibly wired for mutual use.
A common problem has arisen in today's market for communication devices or the like where the electrical component of one manufacturer is wired to permit use only with a component of the same manufacturer. An illustration is the citizen's band (CB) radio industry, where microphones of one manufacturer are often wired in a different manner or with a different configuration than the radios of another manufacturer. This tends to restrict the consumer to purchasing microphones and radios of the same manufacturer, even though the microphone of another manufacturer may have other, more desirable features.
One solution to this problem has been for the consumer to have one component re-wired to make it compatible with the other component. This usually requires the consumer to bring his or her components to a radio shop or to an electrician, but the labor costs and inconvenience discourage this practice. Another solution has been to purchase a switching device, which is usually simply a pre-wired adapter, to accommodate the different wiring of the two components, but these devices are useful only for adapting a particular wiring design to another particular wiring design. If, for example, the consumer later purchases a microphone of a third manufacturer, another switching device must be purchased. Since electrical components are constantly changing and consumers often upgrade one or more components several times, there is a need for an inexpensive switching device which is adaptable to a variety of wiring designs.